You're Bargaining team is Bargaining Chair: Chad Swarthout Kevin Luce Lorraine Guthrie Ginny Ledeigh Ashley Mattingly Howie Marks and Nathan Coutsoubos, Nea-Alaska UniServ Director
How the process works.
Bargaining: In november, 2025 the cea president will request to sit down with the school district to begin the bargaining process for a successor document to our current contract.Sceduling those meetings in the spring of 2026. i and our bargaining chair have already had our "after action" meeting and have started working on our new contract proposal to present to the full team.
Mediation: Both sides sit down with a federal mediator and try to work out our differences to come to a final product. Give and take is part of every contract and the mediator is there to smooth the process and give us an outside perspective to find a resolution. We get 2 of these before we can go to Arbitration.
Arbitration: We have non-binding Arbitration. Much like mediation arbitration is where we sit down with a third party. But instead of the give and take, it is more like a legal presentation. We present our side of the contract with justification, the District does the same, then both teams have 30 days to submit briefs refuting the other positions during the hearing. Then the Arbitrator goes to their neutral corner and comes up with their assessment of both contracts and their solution. Basically an outline of what they think the contract should be. We can either take it or not. We can start bargaining again using it. We have a lot of options. So does the District. But the rules pre covid were that we have to meet one more time after the report before they can impose or we can call a strike vote
Imposition: This is where it can get ugly. At this point if one or both sides reject the Arbitrators decisions OR 90 days from the date our Arbitrator was chosen, than the District can impose their last best contract offer. Which at this point is their second and you can download that below. That is where we have a Strike Vote
Strike Vote: Strike vote will happen in each building by paper ballot. Tabulated in our office. The board will be there along with Building Representatives. This does NOT start a work action but gives CEA the option to strike if need be. EVERYONE gets to vote. Member and Non-Member. If the bargaining unit chooses to strike we will notify the District and hopefully get back to the table and hammer out a deal.
Strike: We do not want a strike. This whole process is about avoiding a work action. But with the authorization given to us by a positive strike vote, and with no further concessions by the District, CEA board of Directors will schedule a work stoppage date. We do not get paid during the work stoppage (Including your officers and President). Part of the Return to work agreement will be back pay. NEA-Alaska has provisions for this, (No interest short term loans) to help us makes ends meet. We will NEVER stop negotiating! Kenai Peninsula came to a contract solution hours before the strike started (Enough so one school didn't get the message and started. lol)